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When sheets of two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene, are stacked on top of each other, tiny gaps form between the sheets that have a wide variety of potential uses. Now, a team of researchers from Brown University has found a way to orient those gaps, called nanochannels, in a way that makes them more useful for filtering water and other liquids of nanoscale contaminants.
A promising technique for single-molecule imaging is surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). By focusing a laser beam on a sample, SERS detects changes in molecules based upon how they scatter light and can identify specific molecules through their unique Raman spectra. Now, engineers from Johns Hopkins University have created a novel nanomaterial that enables fast and highly sensitive single-molecule detection using SERS. Their invention could pave the way for rapid and more accurate diagnostic testing.
A promising technique for single-molecule imaging is surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). By focusing a laser beam on a sample, SERS detects changes in molecules based upon how they scatter light and can identify specific molecules through their unique Raman spectra. Now, engineers from Johns Hopkins University have created a novel nanomaterial that enables fast and highly sensitive single-molecule detection using SERS. Their invention could pave the way for rapid and more accurate diagnostic testing.
Individual carbon nanotubes are basically rolled-up tubes of graphene, which is one of the strongest known materials. But when bundled into nanotube fibers, the fibers are far weaker – about one-hundredth the strength of individual nanotubes. Now, researchers at Rice University have developed a computational model that establishes a universal scaling relationship between nanotube length and friction between them in a bundle – parameters that can be used to fine-tune the strength of carbon nanotube fibers. The model is a tool for scientists and engineers who develop conductive fibers for aerospace, automotive, medical, and textile applications.
Individual carbon nanotubes are basically rolled-up tubes of graphene, which is one of the strongest known materials. But when bundled into nanotube fibers, the fibers are far weaker – about one-hundredth the strength of individual nanotubes. Now, researchers at Rice University have developed a computational model that establishes a universal scaling relationship between nanotube length and friction between them in a bundle – parameters that can be used to fine-tune the strength of carbon nanotube fibers. The model is a tool for scientists and engineers who develop conductive fibers for aerospace, automotive, medical, and textile applications.
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of Washington, and CUNY City College of New York have established a quantitative understanding of how nano-sized particles assemble and crystalize for a model system of semiconductor zinc oxide. This new understanding is important for using particles to design and synthesize materials with desired arrangements and shapes. It also helps scientists understand how minerals form in the earth and in biological systems and expands potential applications for zinc oxide.
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of Washington, and CUNY City College of New York have established a quantitative understanding of how nano-sized particles assemble and crystalize for a model system of semiconductor zinc oxide. This new understanding is important for using particles to design and synthesize materials with desired arrangements and shapes. It also helps scientists understand how minerals form in the earth and in biological systems and expands potential applications for zinc oxide.
Researchers at Stanford University have used light and advanced fabrication and characterization techniques to endow catalysts with new abilities. In a proof-of-concept experiment, researchers placed nanorods above gold nanobars that focused and "sculpted" the light around the nanorods, which were used as catalysts. This sculpted light changed the regions on the nanorods where chemical reactions took place. This work could be an early step toward more efficient catalysts, new forms of catalytic transformations, and potentially catalysts capable of sustaining more than one reaction at once.
Researchers at Stanford University have used light and advanced fabrication and characterization techniques to endow catalysts with new abilities. In a proof-of-concept experiment, researchers placed nanorods above gold nanobars that focused and "sculpted" the light around the nanorods, which were used as catalysts. This sculpted light changed the regions on the nanorods where chemical reactions took place. This work could be an early step toward more efficient catalysts, new forms of catalytic transformations, and potentially catalysts capable of sustaining more than one reaction at once.
Although there are now some preventive measures to alleviate food allergies, there are not yet any long-lasting solutions—treatments capable of locking the immune system into a state of tolerance, so that it doesn't respond to allergens. Now, a UCLA research team has developed a possible way to impart long-term relief from allergies by inducing an active state of immune tolerance. The technology uses nanoparticles to deliver proteins to the liver that can activate a tolerant immune response and switch the allergic response off.
